BOZEMAN, Mont. – Montana State opens its 2017-18 season with a non-conference tilt against Omaha in Great Falls and closes it with the Big Sky Tournament in Reno, and Bobcats coach Brian Fish feels that the high level of competition this season’s schedule provides matches what is expected of his fourth team at MSU.
“This is the first season in our time here that we go into a season with some high expectations,” said Fish, entering his fourth campaign as Montana State’s head coach after the Bobcats finished with a 16-16 mark last season. The team’s 11-7 Big Sky record marked its best conference record in over a decade, and five starters return. “We’re excited for the upcoming season, and we’re excited about this schedule.”
The Bobcats play non-conference home games against UC Santa Barbara and Denver, and maintains the customary strong Montana flavor with an exhibition against MSU Norther and a home tilt against UM Western in addition to the contest in Great Falls. “We start our scheduling by contacting all the teams in the state to see who has dates that match up the ones we need to fill,” Fish said. “We enjoy those games and they’re important to our fans and our program.”
The out-of-town segment of the non-conference schedule is highlighted by a trip to Cancun. “It’s fun to experience some warm weather at that time of year,” Fish said, “but our focus is basketball, and we face some really good teams.” That trip opens with a Nov. 18 game at Louisiana Tech and closes with a Nov. 26 contest at Fresno State. In between, MSU faces Binghamton on November 21 and Cal State Northridge or Southeast Missouri the next day, with both games set for Cancun, Mexico.
Montana State hosts Montana on January 20 in Worthington Arena, and visits Missoula on February 24. Both games are part of split doubleheaders, with MSU’s home games beginning at 2 pm (women) and 7 pm (men). The Big Sky schedule brings defending league champ North Dakota to Bozeman for a Saturday, January 6 game as part of a league home-opening weekend (MSU plays Northern Colorado on January 4). The Bobcats also host weekends against Northern Arizona and Southern Utah (January 25-27), Sacramento State and Portland State (February 8-10), and close regular season play with Idaho State and Weber State (March 1-3).
2017-18 Schedule
11-1 MSU Northern (exh.), 8 pm^
11-10 Omaha at Great Falls, 6 pm
11-13 at Utah State
11-15 Montana Western, 8 pm^
11-18 at Louisiana Tech
11-21 vs. Binghamton at Cancun
11-22 vs. CSN or SEMO at Cancun
11-26 at Fresno State, 1 pm MT
11-29 Bethesda (Calif.), 7 pm
12-2 at Milwaukee
12-5 at Central Mich., 5 pm MT/7 pm ET
12-9 UC Santa Barbara, 2 pm
12-18 Denver, 7 pm
12-21 at Omaha, 7 pm CT/6 pm MT
12-28 *at Southern Utah, 6:30 pm MT
12-30 *at Northern Arizona, 5 pm MT
1-4 *Northern Colorado, 7 pm
1-6 *North Dakota, 2 pm
1-11 *at Portland St., 9 pm MT/8 pm PT
1-13 *at Sac. St., 8 pm MT/7 pm PT
1-20 *Montana, 7 pm
1-25 *Northern Arizona, 7 pm
1-27 *Southern Utah, 2 pm
2-1 *at North Dakota, 6 pm MT/7 pm CT
2-3 *at Northern Colo., 2 pm
2-8 *Sacramento St., 7 pm
2-10 *Portland St., 2 pm
2-15 *at Idaho, 8 pm MT/7 pm PT
F17 *at Eastern Wash., 3 pm MT/2 pm PT
2-24 *at Montana, 7 pm
3-1 *Idaho State. 7 pm
3-3 *Weber State, 2 pm
3-6 Big Sky Tourney at Reno
*-Big Sky game +MSU Tourney
Times are Mountain except where noted
Home and conference games tip at :05
^-Doubleheader with MSU women
Press release courtesy of Bill Lamberty – Montana State Sports Information. All Rights Reserved.
